Locking device for rocking chairs



July 3l, 1951.

A. JuBELISLE LOCKING-"DEVICE FOR ROCKING-CHAIRS Filed March 10, 194a yiwwjkg i BY av,

i 'atented July 31, 1951 LOCKING DEVICE FOR ROCKING CHAIRS Adelard J. Belisle; South Hadley, Mass., assignor to The Berkline Corporation, Chicopee, Mass a corporation of Tennessee Application March 10, 1949; Serial No. 80,729

3 Claims. (Cl. 155- 72) This invention relates to improvements in chairs and is directed more particularly to a rected to the provision of novel mechanism for releasably locking the rocking. seat of a chair to the base or support thereof so that one using the chair may assume various positions.

With the foregoing and various other novel features. and advantages and other objects of my invention as willbecome more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a chair embodyingthe novel features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial transverse elevational view through the chair of Fig. 1 to explain the inven- Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevational View on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A chair is shown in Fig. 1 which has a base or support 2 and a seat 4 arranged for rocking or rolling on the base.

The base has spaced side members 5 secured together by transverse members one of which is represented by 8. The seat has transverse members connected to side member ID and one such transverse member is indicated by 12 for purposes of disclosing the invention.

A bracket I6 is secured to the member 12 by screws or bolts not shown and is provided with spaced side arms I 8.

A clamp 20 has pivots '22 in screw threaded engagement therewith which are rotatably mounted in the side arms [8. This clamp is split at 22 and is provided with a bore for slidably receiving a rod 24. The rod 24 is pivotally connected at 26 to a bracket 28 which is secured to member 8 of the base by screws 30 or the like.

An operating member 32 having a manually engageable outer end portion 34 is oscillatable in side member [0 of the seat and a plate 36 secured thereto. The inner end 33 of the member 32 is freely rotatable in one side of the clamp and is provided with a shoulder 38, see Fig. 3, for abutting the clamp.

The extremity of member 32 is threaded, as

. v 2 shown, and is in screw"threaded engagement with the other side of the clamp. As the rod 32 is rotated in one direction the extremity screws into the threaded side of the clamp to draw the parts of the said clamp together and clamp and hold rod 24. Thus the rod 24 may be clamped to hold the seat in any desired positionrelative to the base. When the member 32 is swung in an opposite direction the rod 24 is released so that the seat may rock or roll on the base. The member 34 will have a locking and unlocking position.

Preferably the screw-thread of member-32 will be such as torequire-but asmall angle of movement of member 34' to lock or'release'rod 24.

The member 34 is preferably securedto member 32 by-a screw 35 and'knurlin'g 3'| "ons'aid member 32. r

A stop 40 is providedon member 32 whichis split at 42. A screw 44-in threaded engagement with the stop, as shown in Fige l, draws the sides of the stop togetheri" In thisway the stop may be secured to member 32 in any desired position and is arranged to abut one of the pivots 22 to limit movement of said member 32 in rod releasing direction.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a rocking chair, a base, a seat rockably mounted on said base, a primary bracket fixed to said base, a slide rod having an extremity pivotally engaged with said primary bracket, a secondary bracket fixed to said seat and having spaced arms extending outwardly therefrom, a U-shaped clamp held in pivoted relation with the arms of said secondary bracket, said clamp having yieldable arms with a pair of aligned openings extending therethrough, said slide rod being slidably received between the arms of said clamp, and an operating member having a free end in threaded engagement with an opening of one of the arms of said clamp and extending through the opening of the other of the arms of said clamp, a shoulder on the free end of said operating member, all adapted and arranged 3 whereby said operating member may be oscillated to clamping position whereby said shoulder cooperates with the threaded end of said operating member and with said shoulder bearing against the unthreaded arm of said clamp to draw the arms oi -sa id clamp .-tgg ether to hold-said slide rod in irictional locking relation therewith while when oscillated to non-clamping position the arms of said clamp may be moved away from each other to release said slide rod from frictional locking relation therewithr 2. In a rocking chair, a basea seat-rockably mounted on said base, a primary bracket fixed to said base, a slide rod having an extremity pivotally engaged with said primary bracket a secondary bracket fixed to said seat and having spaced side arms extending outwardly therefrom,

a U-shaped clamp held qin pivoted relation betwe th s d a m 1 s i se n a marke and Iii-Vine DQ-QQ yieldablerarms with a pair. of a e e qnemee rien in he ethmuem i e i ei o beiiig slid. eiiied b tw emhearms of ai f' la jbt nd a g rat ne m mb r avin agrees end in threaded engagement ;-with one or the arms of said clampga'nd extending through i th ethe 5 th g in d tai i' lem sh ulde on the-iree endof said operating member, all @QflPlE and. f i z gid WQQ BP @319 Opera in member b us l t ap nep n whereby said shoulder cooperates with the ima d end :03: said.- pneretina. m mbe and with, sa d sh ul ea-bsar neaea ns .the untame ed rm itsa declemntp draw nearm v i aid lamp (to e her, 1 iqldeee d s i e- 99 r. ti naliockmarelation;th nw tnw il h n 9&- cillated to non-clamping position the arms of saidclamp. are ,rnovedawaygfrom .each other .to

rockably mounted thereon and means for releasably locking said seat to said base comprising, a primary bracket fixed to said base, a slide rod having a lower extremity pivotally connected to said primary bracket, a secondary bracket fixed; toesaidl-seat and havi-ng spaoed side arms, a clamp memberbetweemsaid side arms provided with a longitudinal bore receiving an upper end ,portion of said slide rod, means connecting said clamp ineinberandsaid side arms adapted and arranged for permitting the swinging of said cl amp memherrelative to said side arms on an axis t gansverse to the longitudinal axis of the release ,said slide-rod i from ,frictional locking relation therewith.

:3. aroqkine hair hav ng a ;base and a -.sea

boreofsaidclampmember, said clamp member provided with aslot through a side thereof into the bore and parallel to the longitudinal axis.

The following references areof record-lathe fileof this patent:

UN ED STAT E EA'ITEN'I Numb Name ate 323,429 Ko eng-e-r-r-la-fl -r-e-r-r Aus- .4;1885 8 123 Ineell -r-.-r-. Nov- 2 ,1 9.

2,456,043 Belisle Dec, 114,-.1948 

